Towering 27 stories tall and qualifying as the second tallest building in the state, the Village Archipelago would provide two hotels, 600,000 square feet of office space, 400,000 square feet of retail space, condos, a grocery store, a health club, a water park and a modest 3,200 parking spaces.
This is the vision of developer Curt Brink, who has proposed this $250 million project to be built in the area between First and Blair Streets on East Washington Avenue.
As these preliminary plans stand, the tallest tower in the site would far exceed city and state laws, which limit the height of city buildings to be less than that of the state Capitol in order to preserve the view of it.
\The mayor said he would not support the necessary changes in state law to exceed the capitol view limits that govern the height of buildings,"" Mayoral Spokesperson George Twigg said.
In addition to the structural issues at hand, the economic effects of such an extreme change to the downtown area are also of concern.
Ald. Judy Olsen, District 6, reflected her concerns over this issue when she said, ""[Brink] proposed a retail mall for an area that our plans recommend be an employment center. And retail doesn't really beget employment.""
Olsen added, ""We would like to see ... entrepreneurial opportunities for small businesses and that's not what that kind of retail promotes.""
Kevin Grauvogl, a night manager at Pizza Express, 605 E. Washington Ave., sympathized with this notion when he stated ""it makes the dollar even harder for us to go get"" in regards to the construction of the complex, which would include space for restaurants.
Businesses also fear this gargantuan development will crush their growth and change the dynamics downtown, where these small businesses are located. The ambitious development ""could even draw vitality from the downtown,"" Olsen said.
""We'll have East Towne transported down towards the near East side,"" Olsen said, reflecting what would be an undesirable change in the dynamic atmosphere of downtown Madison.
While Brink's Archipelago Village has its foreseeable downfalls, the sprawling hub of commerce would be beneficial in other aspects.
If the expansive project were to be a great success among local consumers, the monetary benefits would be incredible.
""If [Brink's] right and the city could absorb this project,"" Olsen said, ""it would be a huge increase to the tax base and to the economic development in the area.""
The size of Brink's vision is equally a positive attribute as it is a negative attribute to the rapidly growing Madison population.
""There is a lot of debate about urban sprawl [that] has led us to the conclusion that the best way to combat sprawl is by increasing downtown density,"" Twigg said.
